Tuesday, January 12, 2016

10 Guidelines for Beating Dysfunctional Systems Part 1

Fill in the blank. It could be the name of an organization like I put in my powerpoint yesterday.

"I am PHFS."

Or it could be a church. "I am Mouth Vernon United Methodist Church."

Or it could be a family. "I am a Fletcher."

The idea behind this guideline is that we need to stop using language that leads us and others to believe that a certain place or organization or family is doing something to us. "I can't trust PHFS." Or "you wouldn't believe what my church did to me."

This "us-them" mentality within an organization can kill it. It is always we. If I am a part of something it is my responsibility to do all I can to make it successful. When there is a problem, it is my job to help fix it. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and I want to make sure that I am not that link.

When we were living in Luverne at the elementary school after announcements they would announce, "It's a great day to be a Cardinal." (I'm leaving out several sarcastic comments about the choice of a small red powerless bird as a school mascot here).

But my kids picked up on that any for some reason Jimmy in particular used to say it all the time. And so when we moved to Mankato I incorporated something similar into my routine. I had to drop off many kids at school and I would always say when I dropped each one off, "I love you. Have a great day. Make good choices. Don't miss me too much! It's a great day to be a Fletcher!

I did that because I wanted them to remember that we were unified family and that they were representing something bigger than themselves. (I also wanted to create a sense of belonging as well).

One of the ways that the enemy can destroy people is to make their system dysfunctional (my other blog is talking about how to fight back). And one of the ways he does that is by convincing each person in the system that they are not REALLY part of the problem. They are a victim of the organization -- or whatever spin they put on it.

But you are the organization you are a part of. You are your church (I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.....)

I have been up for a very long time and am kind but your'e getting the picture.... right?